Good morning, readers!  Here's the conclusion of the teaser we started last week. Remember, Enslaved by Fear is available now. 

Missed the first part?  Read it Here.


Enslaved by Fear
Inherited Damnation, Book VII

For standing against her brother, Brigid McLaine is imprisoned within her home. All she wants is freedom and the ability to follow her dark nature. But captivity poses a greater threat in the form of her handsome guard, Micah Nelson. Day after day of confinement leads her down a treacherous path of desire she can no longer ignore.

When Micah befriended Brigid six years ago, he never imagined the woman who haunted his every fantasy would end up being the very same demon he's employed to guard. During the forced confinement, he comes to learn the softer, gentler side of the woman who is despised by her family--and he recognizes the fear that keeps her chained to her sire. As their bond strengthens and passion ignites, Micah str uggles to convince Brigid to confront her fears and escape her incubus father's dark designs.

Yet with the sabot of Litha so near, one of them must make a choice. Will Brigid find the ability to confront her sire once and for all and embrace the lightness in her heart--or will Micah find the courage to let go of the one thing he wants most? Brigid.

Now, let's see how Micah reacts to Brigid's advances.

~~~~~~

Micah ground his teeth together. Christ Almighty, the woman was going to kill him. She might not accomplish it with her dark powers or her vile alignment with the incubus who gave her life. But she sure as hell would flay him open if she kept up this game. It didn’t matter that he knew she attempted to bend him to her wishes for her own designs. It didn’t matter if she represented everything he spent his life trying to banish from earth. His body hadn’t given a damn about Brigid’s demonic blood since he’d laid eyes on her a good six years ago. It wanted her like lightning wanted metal.


He pushed her hand off and snapped his book shut. “I can too.” Rising to his feet, he returned her sultry smile with one of his own. Two could play this game. She wouldn’t like it, but his job didn’t involve pleasing Brigid, no matter how he might desire her. He leaned in close and brushed his lips across her cheek as he whispered, “I’m going for a walk. See you later.”

It required every bit of his self control not to laugh when a low growl rumbled in Brigid’s throat. Her amber eyes flared like the fire she so easily manipulated, and her delectable mouth pinched into a hard line. He tossed her a casual wink, strode to his room, and shut the door behind him.

He leaned against the door, drawing measured breaths to push the tension out of his body. “Damn,” he muttered. If it weren’t for her demonic blood, he would have already given in to the desire that stirred each time he looked at her. One of these days he wasn’t going to be able to walk away. She’d touch him like she had on the couch, put those damnable lips on him again, and he’d forget all the reasons why he should stay clear. Reasons like she was a demon. Like the even deeper desire to extract revenge on him for keeping her confined that she tried to hide.

Reasons like the dark curse that destined her to kill the man she loved.

The scent of amber and patchouli wafted from the fibers of his T-shirt to his nose. Micah shoved away from the door, stalked to his dresser, and jerked a clean shirt out. He could walk until the sun refused to rise and he’d never clear his head with Brigid’s perfume clinging to him. And if he happened to cross paths with Fintan and Beth, they’d never believe Micah hadn’t succumbed to Brigid. They expected him to fail. That he’d survived four months was testament to his training and his knowledge of demons.

He intended to survive another four. By then, maybe the McLaine’s would defeat Drandar and Brigid might escape the fear that imprisoned her far more than Micah’s incantations and spells of warding.

In the meantime, fresh air would grant him sanity.

Exiting his room, he took a moment to murmur the memorized words that would strengthen the invisible boundaries that confined Brigid to these three rooms. She shot him a glare from her position near the window, where she picked up the broken pottery. He threw her a sugary smile. “Have fun.”

Not caring to hear the litany of oaths his jibe would bring, he hurried out the door. Brigid in a fit of temper was a thing to behold. Sexy. Persuasive.

Dangerous.

In the hall, he took a deep breath and focused on that harsh truth. No matter how she affected him, he couldn’t forget Brigid was her father’s daughter and every bit as deadly. She’d turned on her own brother. Left Fintan without aid and subject to Drandar’s malicious attack. Proof enough. She wouldn’t hesitate to turn on him if he gave her miniscule opportunity.

Still, another side of his conscience nagged as he made his way down the winding stone staircase. Brigid might be demonic, but only half. Another part of her was human, and that half was all woman. A woman that played on his mind more often than he cared to admit. He dreamt of her. She stayed with him even when he left her within the confines of her temporary prison. Brigid McLaine managed to do what dozens of other demons had never accomplished—she haunted him.

In her games he realized her desperation to be free from confinement. In the far away stare she assumed when she looked outside her windows, he recognized her longing for the nature she stemmed from. And in the infrequent touch of her lips he understood passion that burned as deep as his and carried a tenderness Brigid would never admit to.

He also recognized her fear. Not of what Micah was capable of. Not fear of her brother Fintan and his strength of light. But fear that stemmed from the very being who created her. Drandar.

Brigid feared her sire more than she feared anything in this world. Micah would stake his life on the gut feeling that terror drove her to the things she did.

Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to point that out to her. Still, he hadn’t failed to observe the slight vibrato of faltering courage that rang in her voice when she managed to work around his magical wards and render them useless. Confronting her with that truth, however, would only enrage her.

And right now, Micah wasn’t strong enough for the inevitable fight with her stubborn pride. His magic could stand up to hers, yes. His strength of will to perform that magic on her—another thing all together. He would if it meant saving his own life, but despite everything she was, everything she represented, he couldn’t bring himself to summon his full strength and physically harm Brigid.

He saw too much of the woman inside her hard shell of darkness. Understood her too well.

Grumbling to himself, he descended the stairs. Sympathizing with a demon was the first step in failure. If he let her get to him, he would indeed succumb. And that was even worse than combating with the fiery redhead he spent his days and nights with.


Like it?  Buy it here!


~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Another peek at last week's release, Enslaved by Fear.

~~~~~~

Out Now!
If Micah touched her again, if he put that incredible mouth on her skin once more, she didn’t trust herself not to turn around and claw out his eyes.

“Don’t…touch…me,” she ordered in a near whisper.

He drew back in a flash. The mattress bounced as he shoved off the bed. “You know—the hot and cold I can do without. Either you want me, or you don’t, Brigid.”





~~~~~~

For standing against her brother, Brigid McLaine is imprisoned within her home. All she wants is freedom and the ability to follow her dark nature. But captivity poses a greater threat in the form of her handsome guard, Micah Nelson. Day after day of confinement leads her down a treacherous path of desire she can no longer ignore.

When Micah befriended Brigid six years ago, he never imagined the woman who haunted his every fantasy would end up being the very same demon he's employed to guard. During the forced confinement, he comes to learn the softer, gentler side of the woman who is despised by her family--and he recognizes the fear that keeps her chained to her sire. As their bond strengthens and passion ignites, Micah str uggles to convince Brigid to confront her fears and escape her incubus father's dark designs.

Yet with the sabot of Litha so near, one of them must make a choice. Will Brigid find the ability to confront her sire once and for all and embrace the lightness in her heart--or will Micah find the courage to let go of the one thing he wants most? Brigid.



~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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~If you're checking in for the Immortal Trust reveal -- please visit Laura Kaye's blog!~

Please give Karin Rita Gastreich a warm welcome!  I had the pleasure of meeting Karin this summer at ConQuest 43, and I've been trying to work out getting her on the blog ever since.  Our schedules (mainly mine) didn't end up with that working out until today, and I'm SO EXCITED! to have her here!!

So let's meet her book, Eolyn! And then you get to hear about High Magic (and how cool is it that she has a Caradoc in her book too?!)


Eolyn
Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Hadley Rille Books
ISBN: 978-0-9829467-4-9
Number of pages: 325
Word Count: approximately 118,000
Amazon | Barnes and Noble

In a land ravaged by civil war, the Mage King Kedehen initiates a brutal purge of the Magas.

Fleeing his wrath, Eolyn, daughter of the last of the Magas and sole heiress to their forbidden tradition, seeks refuge in the South Woods. There she meets the mysterious boy Akmael, and forms a friendship that thrives on shared magic. Destiny leads them down a tortuous path of love, betrayal and war, until one day the Maga Eolyn takes up arms against the new Mage King.

Must Eolyn slay the man she loves in order to free herself and her people?

The answer lies in the extraordinary magic she commands, and in the hidden power of a Maga’s heart.

“Vigorously told deceptions and battle scenes. . . with a romantic thread." – Publishers Weekly


~~~~~~

High Magic
By Karin Rita Gastreich

In Eolyn’s world, High Magic is a form of knowledge and power that was gifted by the gods to Aithne and Caradoc.

These two lovers of ancient times learned the techniques of Simple and Middle Magic by 'listening' to the world around them: to the plants, animals, rivers, and stones. In this way, Aithne and Caradoc were able to use the knowledge of the natural world to heal and provide for their people.

Their achievements caused dissention among the gods, and a great conflict arose between deities who admired Aithne and Caradoc, and those who felt threatened by them. The gods who supported the practice of magic by humans sent Dragon to grant Aithne and Caradoc the staves with which they eventually mastered High Magic. (This legend is told in my novel, and if you’d like to hear more an audio recording is available on the blog for Eolyn.)

In every generation that has followed, practitioners who become adept at Simple and Middle Magic must petition the gods for their staff. The petitioner generally spends time alone fasting in the forest, and at the end of his or her retreat Dragon appears in the form of an animal of the wild, with instructions as to what elements are to be incorporated into the staff. If Dragon does not appear, it means the gods have denied the initiate's petition to learn High Magic.

The three or four elements that go into each individual’s staff are unique. For example, one maga's staff may be made of cherry wood, with a crystal of amethyst and the feather of a thrush. Another may be made of oak with a crystal of smoky quartz and the wings of a dragonfly. Each staff is thus tailored to its user, and it is difficult --though not impossible -- for one practitioner to use the staff of another.

Staves in Eolyn’s world are said to be 'forged' because the integration of the elements that make them is achieved in a sacred fire prepared by the tutor of the initiate. With a staff, the mage or maga can draw on very deep powers of the earth to accomplish many feats of magic and illusion, such as flight, shape shifting, the invocation of sound wards and vision wards, and the deflection of flying objects such as arrows (which comes in pretty handy). They can also invoke a variety of flames for ceremonial purposes, or as in the case of Mage Warriors, for use on the battle field.

Among Eolyn’s people, magic is an evolving craft. High Mages and Magas try to push magic beyond the traditional limits of their predecessors. Eolyn and Akmael, for example, have certain powers that develop during the course of the novel. One of their ongoing challenges, as individuals and companions, is to recognize these abilities and make proper use of them.

Best of all, High Magic has a mind of its own. So, while certain rules do apply, magic can occasionally slip outside of the boundaries imposed by its practitioners and act in ways that are entirely unexpected.


~~@~~
EXCERPT
~~@~~

Akmael set the jewel on a polished oak table, next to the ceremonial mask he had confiscated from Eolyn when they had brought her to him as a prisoner. The silver web sparkled under the flickering light of the torches, and the folds of her mask seemed to waver with the shadows. After a careful search, Akmael found what he sought: a coppery strand of her hair, glowing with her magic and still bearing traces of her exquisite aroma. With a quiet invocation to Dragon, he wove the hair into the heirloom of his mother, snaking it tightly through the intricate mesh. When he finished a sudden white glow flashed through the medallion, fusing the strand of hair to the web and rendering it indistinguishable from the other threads. Satisfied, Akmael stood and lifted the circle by its silver chain. He drew a breath and began a new incantation, one he had worked meticulously by integrating the lullaby of his mother with a spell designed to separate the seam of a Maga’s ward.

Ehekahtu

Elaeom enem, eleaom enem

Sepoenem fae

Elaeom enem, elaeom enem

Renoenem mae

Ehukae

As he repeated the verse, the stone walls melted around him and soft loam rose to his feet. The web had taken him to a forest, ancient in aspect though illuminated by energies very different from the South Woods. The pale light of the new moon filtered through the canopy. A breeze shifted restless against the trees. He thought he could feel Eolyn’s essence on the wind, but she was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed though not deterred, Akmael lifted the medallion to try again. Just as he spun the web to begin his invocation, a soft rustle in the underbrush detained him. Eolyn appeared a few paces away in the shape of Wolf, her true identity betrayed by the full spectrum of her magnificent aura.

Akmael caught his breath and held very still. The Gods must have favored him, for she did not at first detect his scent. Stepping into the clearing, she searched the leaf litter with her snout, her awareness focused on some favored smell emanating from the damp earth. Her coarse gray fur blended into the shadows. The faint moonlight glinted against her black eyes. She continued oblivious to him, until in a sudden shift of attention she paused and looked up. She sniffed at the air, her muscles tensed. Her ears turned in Akmael’s direction. She growled then bolted into the forest.

Calling upon the shape of Wolf, Akmael charged after her.

As a girl, Eolyn had been a swift runner. As a wolf, she seemed impossible to catch. She hurtled through the bushes, managing with nimble turns a rough terrain unknown to Akmael. Branches caught at his fur and scratched his snout. Tangled roots threatened to trip his paws. More than once she gained enough distance to lose sight of her, yet Akmael kept tight upon her scent and did not give up. His muscles began to burn. His tongue hung limp from his jowls. He panted hot clouds into the air as he pushed his limbs to move faster and faster.

Without warning the undergrowth disappeared. Akmael skidded into a small clearing. The she-wolf paced a confused circle in front of him, her whimpers soft and high pitched. A steep wall of rock had cut her flight short. Upon sensing Akmael, she swung around to confront him and bared her fangs in a vicious snarl. They stalked each other, heads low and tails ominously still, quiet growls and sharp barks building in a tense duet. Eolyn sprang first, striking his shoulders and digging her claws deep into his fur as her teeth sought his neck. Akmael twisted his throat out of her reach, forcing his snout underneath her muzzle, leaving her snapping at his ears instead. Again he ducked his head, barely avoiding the tearing hold of her canines. He had never seen Eolyn so intent on drawing blood. Wedging his paws up through her hold, he pushed against her muzzle and spread his claws over her face. With a sharp yelp, Eolyn stumbled back, breaking their grapple. Recovering her balance, she lunged low, fangs flashing in the moonlight. Just as her jaws snapped shut, Akmael reared up on his hind legs, leaving nothing for her to take hold of. Coming down upon her back, he caught the nape of her neck with his razor sharp teeth and forced her decisively to the ground.

Eolyn went very still, though her muscles remained tense. After several moments she tried to shift her position, scooting a few inches along the ground. He tightened his grip with a low growl, sending a clear signal that the strength of his muzzle could break her neck. Again she paused. He felt her pulse against his jowls, rapid and strong. The intensity of their conflict had left her fur warm and damp at the roots. Her rich musk rose about him in waves, saturating his senses to the point of dizziness. His loins tightened with need. Every instinct of Wolf was urging him to claim her right then and there. Was such a thing possible, he wondered. Did the Mages and Magas of old partake in the pleasure of the Gods even when they shape shifted?

Eolyn’s muzzle sank between her paws. Her ears twitched and she whimpered quietly. Her pulse slowed. The tension drained out of her haunches and into the midnight earth. Interpreting this as a sign of submission, Akmael loosened his hold and stepped away.

In an instant, Eolyn rose to her feet, resumed her human form and kicked him full in the stomach. The force of her strike surprised Akmael. He hit the ground with a yelp, and the shape of Wolf deserted him. His hand went instinctively to where the blow burned against his side.

“You have lost nothing of your strength and skill,” he said, “but don’t you think that move was a little unfair?”

~~@~~
YOU HAVE JUST READ AN EXCERPT FROM EOLYN
~~@~~
 
Karin is giving away 2 signed copies of Eolyn to two randomly drawn
commentors throughout the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway




About the Author:
 
KARIN RITA GASTREICH was born near Kansas City, Missouri. After living and working for ten years as a tropical ecologist in Costa Rica, she recently returned to her home town and is now a Professor of Biology at Avila University. Her past times include camping, hiking, music and flamenco dance. Karin's fantasy novel EOLYN was released by Hadley Rille Books in May, 2011. The companion novel, HIGH MAGA, is scheduled for release in 2013. Karin’s short stories have appeared in Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, 69 Flavors of Paranoia, and A Visitor to Sandahl. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.

Visit her at the blog for Eolyn, http://eolynchronicles.blogspot.com and at Heroines of Fantasy, co-authored with Terri-Lynne DeFino and Kim Vandervort http://heroinesoffantasy.blogspot.com   

Blog Heroines of Fantasy: http://heroinesoffantasy.blogspot.com  



A Bewitching Book Tours Guest



~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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So today is one of those days where I wonder just how much I have annoyed folks...

I've been hollering for everyone to check in on Laura Kaye's blog today for news about Immortal Trust and other... news...

and I totally forgot that we bumped the date to the 26th. 

So, ah, I'll just hide over here while you all throw tomatoes.  O.o

And we will have the info up on the 26th.



~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Hi everyone!  Here's a sneak peek at tomorrow's release, Enslaved by Fear.


Enslaved by Fear
Inherited Damnation, Book VII

For standing against her brother, Brigid McLaine is imprisoned within her home. All she wants is freedom and the ability to follow her dark nature. But captivity poses a greater threat in the form of her handsome guard, Micah Nelson. Day after day of confinement leads her down a treacherous path of desire she can no longer ignore.

When Micah befriended Brigid six years ago, he never imagined the woman who haunted his every fantasy would end up being the very same demon he's employed to guard. During the forced confinement, he comes to learn the softer, gentler side of the woman who is despised by her family--and he recognizes the fear that keeps her chained to her sire. As their bond strengthens and passion ignites, Micah str uggles to convince Brigid to confront her fears and escape her incubus father's dark designs.

Yet with the sabot of Litha so near, one of them must make a choice. Will Brigid find the ability to confront her sire once and for all and embrace the lightness in her heart--or will Micah find the courage to let go of the one thing he wants most? Brigid.

~~~~~~


Chapter One



If Brigid McLaine had to spend another day breathing the stale air of her confinement, she’d rip off her guard’s handsome head and serve it to the wolves. It would be a pity really—Micah Nelson’s arrogantly sloping nose serving as a midnight snack. Or his soft sensual lips being used for anything other than the purpose they were made for. And frankly, the thought of those pale blue eyes as an appetizer made Brigid’s stomach churn. But four months of imprisonment within the stone walls of SgĂ il na Faileas—supposedly her home—was more than enough. She was going mad, slowly but surely.

She squinted at the back of Micah’s head, annoyed by the casual way he lounged on the sofa and studied a book of incantations that he would use against her when she managed to override his most current means of binding. His bottled lager sat forgotten on the short table to his left, droplets of water coursing down the paper label to create rings in the finish.

If she dumped it over his head at least the monotony would lift.

Brigid sighed and dropped her bowl of crackers on the floor. Pottery shattered, breaking the silence. The sound was loud enough to make her jump, but Micah didn’t do so much as glance over his shoulder.

“What now, Brigid?” he asked with a touch of indifference.

She straightened her legs and stood, fully aware of the way Micah watched her in the gilt mirror over her stone hearth. She stretched. Took her time to elongate her arms, arch her back, and push her breasts ever-so-slightly forward. A smirk tugged at the side of her mouth as Micah’s gaze slipped down the length of her body.

“I’m bored.”

“You’re bored every day. You aren’t locked up for fun and games.” His gaze dropped to his book.

No, she was locked up for standing against her brother Fintan who chose to act against their incubus sire, Drandar. A demon Brigid feared more than any spell Micah could ever cast. Not that Micah’s powers were weak. Her father’s were simply horrific. She rolled her eyes, stepped over the shards of pottery, and crossed the room to the couch. Bending over the back, she dipped her mouth to Micah’s shoulder. Close enough he could feel her breath on his exposed neck but not yet touching. “I’m tired of outthinking your magic. Let’s do something…” She dropped her head a fraction more and grazed his skin with her lips. “Else.”

Something like tangle up the sheets in her bed or find a new use for the ragged old couch. Anything to break the sexual tension that had been building between them for years. Not only had four months of imprisonment grated on her nerves, spending that time with the one man who’d been playing games with her libido ever since she met him, was driving her out of her mind.

Micah’s body stiffened. The pen he used to jot notes in the book’s margins stilled. His knuckles went white. “Just what did you have in mind?”

Brigid smiled as she slowly lifted her head. Her gaze locked with his in the mirror. Torturing Micah was surely a better alternative than throwing his head to the wolves. “I don’t know. Chess?” Sarcasm laced her words. She leaned on her elbows and drew a fingernail down the length of Micah’s neck as she lowered her voice to a husky murmur. “What sounds good to you?”

Micah abruptly leaned away, but made no other outward sign she affected him. “What sounds good to me is finishing this book.”

Uh-huh. Sure. She didn’t buy it for a minute. When he’d come out of his adjoining room with that book in hand, it had sounded so compelling that he put off reading for small talk until she caught him hungrily appraising her shorts-clad legs. Then he beat a hasty retreat to the couch.

Where he’d been watching her in the mirror when he thought she wasn’t aware ever since. Problem being, Brigid was aware of every instant Micah’s attention shifted to her. Four months of living together deepened the connection of six years of friendship. Sometimes, she’d swear she could hear his thoughts. More often, her skin prickled like a warm sunshine bath when his thoughts and attention honed in on her.

She knew he shared the same awareness. Oh, he tried to hide it, but Micah might be able to bar her from the outside world, but he couldn’t bar himself from her. He wasn’t as immune as he wanted her to believe.

She laughed softly and rounded the edge of the couch to fold one leg on the cushion beside him. As she sat, she leaned against his muscular arm. The side of her breast brushed his bicep, and a streak of pleasant fire surged up her spine. “So how many times have you read,”—she paused as she glanced at the book—“page 28? Three?” Deliberately she trailed her hand up his thigh. “Or more?”

To her delight, Micah’s muscles bunched beneath her palm. A sharp breath hissed through his teeth. Satisfaction thrummed through her. Maybe, just maybe, she could use this to her advantage. Not only might she find some relief from the ever-present ache of wanting him, but if she played him right, he might also neglect to strengthen the wards that kept her from leaving the trio of rooms and opening windows. She could run. Be free of this Scotland castle. Free of her brother Fintan’s happiness.

Free to follow the dark instincts that ran in her blood.

“Micah, I can think of better entertainment than that book.” As casually as she could, she dipped her fingers into the crease of his jeans at the juncture of his thigh.

~~~~~

Tune in next week to see how Micah reacts!


~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Sunday Six time again!  This time, we're going to visit Enslaved by Fear, my October 24th release.

~~~~~

October 24, 2012
Damn it. She didn’t want to hurt him. But she ought to. She ought to want to rip out his eyes and stuff them down his throat so they could never again pierce her
with that too-knowing light.

Instead, all she wanted to do was throw her arms around his neck and kiss him until the war between the two halves of her soul ceased.

Which only pissed her off more.            
~~~~~
 
For standing against her brother, Brigid McLaine is imprisoned within her home. All she wants is freedom and the ability to follow her dark nature. But captivity poses a greater threat in the form of her handsome guard, Micah Nelson. Day after day of confinement leads her down a treacherous path of desire she can no longer ignore.
 
When Micah befriended Brigid six years ago, he never imagined the woman who haunted his every fantasy would end up being the very same demon he's employed to guard. During the forced confinement, he comes to learn the softer, gentler side of the woman who is despised by her family--and he recognizes the fear that keeps her chained to her sire. As their bond strengthens and passion ignites, Micah struggles to convince Brigid to confront her fears and escape her incubus father's dark designs.
 
Yet with the sabot of Litha so near, one of them must make a choice. Will Brigid find the ability to confront her sire once and for all and embrace the lightness in her heart--or will Micah find the courage to let go of the one thing he wants most? Brigid.


~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Hi everyone!  With Inherited Damnation in full swing, alongside Immortal Surrender, this has been a crazy month!  I'm sliding this cover and blurb reveal in today.  Enslaved by Fear releases on October 24th! I confess, this one, and the last one in the series are my personal favorites! 


Enslaved by Fear
Inherited Damnation, Book VII

For standing against her brother, Brigid McLaine is imprisoned within her home. All she wants is freedom and the ability to follow her dark nature. But captivity poses a greater threat in the form of her handsome guard, Micah Nelson. Day after day of confinement leads her down a treacherous path of desire she can no longer ignore.

When Micah befriended Brigid six years ago, he never imagined the woman who haunted his every fantasy would end up being the very same demon he's employed to guard. During the forced confinement, he comes to learn the softer, gentler side of the woman who is despised by her family--and he recognizes the fear that keeps her chained to her sire. As their bond strengthens and passion ignites, Micah str uggles to convince Brigid to confront her fears and escape her incubus father's dark designs.

Yet with the sabot of Litha so near, one of them must make a choice. Will Brigid find the ability to confront her sire once and for all and embrace the lightness in her heart--or will Micah find the courage to let go of the one thing he wants most? Brigid.


~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Welcome everyone!  Susannah Sandlin is here with us today, showcasing her new series.  Susannah Sandlin’s REDEMPTION is the first in the Penton Legacy series. Book two, ABSOLUTION, will be out September 18, and book three, OMEGA, on December 18.  These books look fantastic, by the way.  So get comfy, give her a warm welcome, and become fascinated like I was!


REDEMPTION
Book One Penton Legacy series

Following a worldwide pandemic whose vaccine left human blood deadly to vampires, the vampire community is on the verge of starvation and panic. Some have fanned into rural areas, where the vaccine was less prevalent, and are taking unsuspecting humans as blood slaves. Others are simply starving, which for a vampire is worse than death—a raging hunger in a creature too weak to feed.


Immune to these struggles—at first—is Penton, a tiny community in rural Chambers County, Alabama, an abandoned cotton mill town that has been repopulated by charismatic vampire Aidan Murphy, his scathe of 50 vampires, and their willingly bonded humans. Aidan has recruited his people carefully, believing in a peaceful community where the humans are respected and the vampires retain a bit of their humanity.


But an unresolved family feud and the paranoia of the Vampire Tribunal descend on Penton in the form of Aidan’s brother, Owen Murphy. Owen has been issued a death warrant that can only be commuted if he destroys Penton—and Aidan, against whom he’s held a grudge since both were turned vampire in 17th-century Ireland. Owen begins a systematic attack on the town, first killing its doctor, then attacking one of Aidan’s own human familiars


To protect his people, Aidan is forced to go against his principles and kidnap an unvaccinated human doctor—and finds himself falling in love for the first time since the death of his wife in Ireland centuries ago.


Dr. Krystal Harris, forced into a world she never knew existed, must face up to her own abusive past to learn if the feelings she’s developing for her kidnapper are real—or just a warped, supernatural kind of Stockholm Syndrome in which she’s allowing herself to become a victim yet again.


ABSOLUTION

The Penton Legacy, Book 2


With the vampire world on the brink of civil war over the scarcity of untainted human blood, battle lines are being drawn between the once peaceful vampire and human enclave of Penton, Alabama, and the powerful Vampire Tribunal.

A Scottish gallowglass warrior turned vampire in the early 17th century, Mirren Kincaid once served the Tribunal as its most creative and ruthless executioner—a time when he was known as the Slayer. But when assigned a killing he found questionable, Mirren abandoned the Tribunal’s political machinations and disappeared—only to resurface two centuries later as the protector and second-in-command of Penton. Now the Tribunal wants him back on their side—or dead.

To break their rogue agent, they capture Glory Cummings, the descendant of a shaman, and send her to restore Mirren’s bloodthirsty nature. But instead of a monster, Glory sees a man burdened by the weight of his past. Could her magic touch—meant by the tribunal to bring out a violent killer—actually help Mirren break his bonds and discover the love he doesn’t believe he deserves?

It’s a town under siege, a powerful warrior in a battle with his past, and one woman who can make the earth move—literally—as the Penton Legacy continues.



Vampires in Kilts: The Scottish Gallowglass
Susannah Sandlin

This is not so much a story about vampires in kilts as it is vampires out of control. Vampires gone wild. (Uncooperative characters, more like.)

When I set out to create the vampires who would be the leaders of the community of Penton, Alabama, I decided to make them Irish. Aidan, the hero of the first book in the series, Redemption, was an early 17th-century Irish farmer turned vampire during the Siege of Kinsale. His hands remain calloused from manual labor, he keeps a greenhouse of night-blooming plants so he can still smell the sunlight on the earth and leaves, and he is known to occasionally mutter in Gaelic.

His second-in-command, Mirren Kincaid—the hero of Absolution—wanted none of that crap. I tried to make Mirren Irish, but he’d have none of it. He was a Scotsman, he informed me, of Norse descent. He did not till fields. He did not wield a scythe. And he sure as heck didn’t milk cows (he also didn’t use the word “heck”). And despite the name of this blog post, Mirren didn’t wear a kilt, although he’d look really hot in one. He’s kinda grouchy, so don’t tell him I said that.

Mirren was a Gallowglass warrior: heavily armored, aristocratic, highly trained mercenaries. He wore chain mail, heavy leather tunics, and iron helmet, and wielded a battle-axe. He still carries faolain, his beloved sword, in a worn leather scabbard. Um, did I mention he’s six-eight and weighs almost three-hundred pounds and can use faolain to behead a man in one stroke? And all that big alpha-ness happened before he was turned vampire.

Take monster warrior, add fangs, and stir.

Mirren’s got a problem, though. After he was turned more than four centuries ago, he became a mercenary of a different kind—the executioner for the bureaucratic Vampire Tribunal. He became legendary among his kind, known with fear as the Slayer. Until the Slayer was paid to do something that finally made him stop and question who and what he’d become. He faked his death, wandered alone, considered suicide-by-sunlight...until he met Aidan, who showed him another way to live.

Now, the Tribunal wants the Slayer back and is using an innocent human woman as bait.

Mirren is not a happy vampire. He’s sharpening his sword again. This is not going to be pretty.

Absolution is Mirren’s story. Next up: Omega (coming February 5), the story of Will, another of Aidan’s lieutenants. I tried to make Will Irish, but he laughed at me. I offered to make him a Scotsman, but he taunted me with a fake brogue. I bribed him with his choice of kilt and complimented his legs (which are really good).

But no. Will informs me he was turned vampire in 1969 and still has a penchant for listening to Jimi Hendrix. Off to buy some bell-bottoms now….


GIVEAWAY:
Across the Tour:  1 Kindle Paper White (or $100 U.S. gift card to Amazon, B&N, or Book Depository winner's choice),
5 signed print or audio copies of Absolution winner's choice of print or audio
 




About the Author:  
Susannah Sandlin is the author of paranormal romance set in the Deep South, where there are always things that go bump in the night.

A journalist by day, Susannah grew up in Alabama reading the gothic novels of Susan Howatch and the horror fantasy of Stephen King. (Um…it is fantasy, right?)

The combination of Howatch and King probably explains a lot. Currently a resident of Auburn, Alabama, Susannah has also lived in Illinois, Texas, California, and Louisiana.

Keep in Touch via:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Indie Bound  |  Twitter




A Bewitching Book Tour Guest

 


~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Good morning, everyone!

It's release day...again!

Doomed to Torment is available today.  And while we're in heavy give-away mode, let's add another into the mix.

Three randomly drawn commentors who can tell me what they like about paranormal romance, will receive a copy of Doomed to Torment!

Doomed to Torment
Inherited Damnation, Book VI


Isolde McLaine left Hatherly Hall and its darkly handsome owner Angus Shaw to escape her incubus father's curse. But when word reaches her that Angus is selling the piece of British history, she returns to talk sense into him. Little does she realized that returning to England will throw her into her sire's vile world and leave her fighting not just her heart and the danger of falling in love but battling to save Angus's son's life.

For three and a half months, Angus has done his best to put Isolde and the one unforgettable kiss they shared behind him. Yet when she returns, scolding him for selling his deceased wife's estate, he's sharply reminded of the passion she awakens inside him. Yet as Isolde pushes for him to leave his son's legacy intact, their battle of wills provokes far more than just desire. His son's nightmares have returned. And Isolde triggered the hellish dreams.

Torn between protecting his child and the love he feels for Isolde, Angus must find the strength to trus t in Isolde before her demonic sire claims his son.



~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Hi everyone!  We're back this week, with the conclusion of the opening chapter in Doomed to Torment, my October 17th release.

Miss the first part?  Read it Here

Doomed to Torment
Inherited Damnation, Book VI

Isolde McLaine left Hatherly Hall and its darkly handsome owner Angus Shaw to escape her incubus father's curse. But when word reaches her that Angus is selling the piece of British history, she returns to talk sense into him. Little does she realized that returning to England will throw her into her sire's vile world and leave her fighting not just her heart and the danger of falling in love but battling to save Angus's son's life.

For three and a half months, Angus has done his best to put Isolde and the one unforgettable kiss they shared behind him. Yet when she returns, scolding him for selling his deceased wife's estate, he's sharply reminded of the passion she awakens inside him. Yet as Isolde pushes for him to leave his son's legacy intact, their battle of wills provokes far more than just desire. His son's nightmares have returned. And Isolde triggered the hellish dreams.

Torn between protecting his child and the love he feels for Isolde, Angus must find the strength to trust in Isolde before her demonic sire claims his son.

~~~~~~

At the sound of the voice he couldn’t forget, Angus snapped his head up. His gaze locked on the doorway, and for a moment, his lungs refused to function.

Isolde.

With the heavy thump of his heart, every particle of his being honed in on her presence. Long platinum hair hung from a loose ponytail that she somehow managed to make elegant, down past her waist, to peek out beneath her elbow and brush the middle of a toned thigh. Contrary to the usual dark blue uniform dress she nearly always wore, she was dressed in a pair of white riding trousers that accentuated the muscling of her lithe legs even more. He dragged his gaze up to her face, taking her in bit by breathtaking bit, until her pale silver eyes locked with his.

At the glimmer of anger in those unusual depths, he pursed his lips and dipped his hand back into the crate in front of him. “Isolde. I believe you quit. It’s none of your concern.”

“Don’t give me that tripe, Angus. You know very well why I quit.” She pushed off the wall and approached. The toes of her stylish knee-high boots crept into his peripheral vision. “Why are you doing this?”

The better question was why did she care? She’d quit. What he did with the old relics and antiquities shouldn’t concern her. But too many years of friendship refused to let him fall back on the defensive response. He rocked into his heels and sighed as he shot her an annoyed look. “In case it escapes you, I wouldn’t be sorting through these things if I still had a House Manager. I don’t have the time to manage Hatherly, Isolde. You know this.”

She scoffed, and her penetrating gaze narrowed a sliver more. “That’s an excuse. You could make the time. Instead, you’re signing over Thomas’s heritage to the preservation society.”

He reached into the crate and pulled out a brass vase, then set it aside, before reaching in once again. “He’s my son. I know what’s in his best interests.”

“And you think this is?”

“Thomas is going to Aysgarth in the fall, Isolde.” Unable to meet her accusatory glare, he focused on straightening a stack of old photographs. “He needs stability and discipline.” Not to mention that sending him off to school would keep him safe. There’d be someone constantly present to watch over him—a job Isolde had assumed instinctually. Without her…

An unexpected hollowness opened behind his ribs. Nothing had been the same without her, much as he hated to admit it. Hatherly was cold and empty. He no longer enjoyed the monotonous days spent in his office with the accounts while he waited for her to interrupt his concentration. And Thomas didn’t laugh like he used to. They all missed Isolde.

If he hadn’t kissed her, she’d still be here.

“Boarding school? You really have lost all the sense God gave you, Angus Shaw.” She blew out a breath that stirred the loose tendrils of hair framing her face. Kneeling at his side, she set a dainty hand on his shoulder. “Thomas has all that right here. He loves day school at Greystones, and he loves Hatherly. This is all he has left of his mother. You don’t have the right to take it away from him.”

Oh he had the right. Protecting Thomas fell under the general umbrella of fatherhood. Even if that meant burying the memory of Camille so far Thomas would never stumble across her again. The nightmares after her death were more than enough motivation.

He shook his head, returning to the task of sifting through the oversized crate that had been packed away shortly after Camille’s death. Fighting would accomplish nothing. He’d made up his mind, knew what was best for Thomas, and he wasn’t about to stay in this gloomy place any longer than he absolutely must.

“You are the most stubborn man, I swear.” Isolde muttered as she dipped a hand into the wooden crate.

“Instead of chastising me, why don’t you help me cart all this to the incinerator? It’s all trash.” He picked up the crate and urged it into her hands.

To his consternation, as she accepted the wooden box, her gaze dipped inside, and her delicate mouth pursed. Shooting him a scowl, she set it down in front of her. “This isn’t trash—these are photographs.” Reaching in, she pulled out a faded picture and cocked her head thoughtfully. “Is this Thomas?”

As Angus leaned over Isolde’s shoulder, the scent of wild heather filled his nose. His gaze dipped to the elegant line of her neck, locking on the silken skin her pulled-back hair revealed. Temptation rose like a swift fist to the gut. How many nights had he lain in bed, aroused to the point of painful, reliving the brief moment when his lips had grazed that tender flesh? She had been so sweet. So soft and pliant.

Just one more kiss. One more touch of her lips before she realized her flight across an ocean had been pointless and she left again. One more chance to become lost in feeling that he couldn’t cast aside.

Against his will, his head dipped closer. His breath stirred the wisps of platinum that refused to be constrained by her ponytail.

Choking down a groan, he jerked his attention to the photograph she held in her hand. As he steered his mind away from the treacherous path and focused on the toddler in the photo, a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Yes. He just turned three. We were celebrating at the park.”

“And that’s Camille?” She tapped a woman wearing sunglasses in the background.

“Yes,” he answered tightly.

“Oh, Angus.” She twisted to look up at him. “You should keep these things. I don’t think I’ve seen a single photograph of Camille since I’ve been here. Do you know how much I would give for a picture of my mother?”

Indeed he did. Isolde’s own loss at an early age had helped her to bond with Thomas. But she wasn’t Thomas, and she hadn’t been here for the nightmares. Hadn’t suffered through night after night of his being too terrified to sleep. Unlike her, Thomas couldn’t cope with the memory of his mother.

And Angus couldn’t cope with reliving the helplessness that came with his son’s terror all over again.

He abruptly stood. “I have an appointment with the chairman of the preservation society. Take that to the incinerator, please. If you care to join us for dinner, Isolde, your company would be welcome.”

Without giving her time to respond, he strode from the room. He had promised to keep Camille safe and failed. No matter how badly Isolde drove him to distraction, he would not fail to protect his son.

~~~~~~

Available Tomorrow at The Wild Rose Press!


~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Another peek at Isolde and Angus, from Doomed to Torment!

~~~~~

October 17, 2012


“Mm-hm.” As he grazed his teeth against the thick vein alongside her neck, she turned her head a fraction, and her lips parted. Her irregular breathing joined his.

Angus inched his way closer to those heavenly lips, no longer certain of his own actions. He was playing with fire. Only he couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t be the one to burn in the end.





~~~~~  
Isolde McLaine left Hatherly Hall and its darkly handsome owner Angus Shaw to escape her incubus father's curse. But when word reaches her that Angus is selling the piece of British history, she returns to talk sense into him. Little does she realized that returning to England will throw her into her sire's vile world and leave her fighting not just her heart and the danger of falling in love but battling to save Angus's son's life.
 
For three and a half months, Angus has done his best to put Isolde and the one unforgettable kiss they shared behind him. Yet when she returns, scolding him for selling his deceased wife's estate, he's sharply reminded of the passion she awakens inside him. Yet as Isolde pushes for him to leave his son's legacy intact, their battle of wills provokes far more than just desire. His son's nightmares have returned. And Isolde triggered the hellish dreams.
 
Torn between protecting his child and the love he feels for Isolde, Angus must find the strength to trus t in Isolde before her demonic sire claims his son.


~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Welcome everyone to another Fantasy Friday!  J.A. Huss is here today sharing her trilogy and her thoughts on what makes a hero sexy.  Sit back, get comfy and enjoy!

But first, let's meet the novels:

Clutch

Book One I Am Just Junco
By J.A. Huss
Book Trailer:
In 2152 the avian race is on Earth looking for something stolen from them decades ago – their genetics. At the center of the search lies the Rural Republic; a small backwards farming country with high hopes of military domination and a penchant for illegal bioengineering.


19 year old Junco Coot is the daughter of the Rural Republic’s ranking commander. She’s the most foul-mouthed, wildly unpredictable and ruthless sniper the Rural Republic has ever trained. But when her father’s death sparks a trip into forbidden places, she triggers events that will change everything she knows to be true.


As an elite avian military officer, Tier’s mission is to destroy the bioengineering projects, kill Commander Coot’s daughter, and return home immediately. There’s just one problem. Junco isn’t who she claims to be.


With no one to trust, not even herself, Junco must confront the secrets of her past and accept her place in the future, or risk losing herself completely.



Fledge
Book Two
YouTube Trailer:

Junco Coot can’t even remember her trip off Earth; she was too busy being morphed into her new avian body. But reality hits her hard when she wakes up to find her new life is not what she expected. Not even close. Tier is on trial for disobeying his commander’s kill order and only Junco seems to care.


In most places the avian coming-of-age Fledge ritual would be nothing more than mass murder, but here in the capital city of Amelia, it’s called growing up. Junco has no choice; either fight to the death to prove her worth or get sent back to Earth in the hands of her enemies.


Her new military team is hostile, her body is being taken over by an illicit artificial intelligence, the avian president wants her dead, and her only friend is a ten-year old throwaway boy.


On a foreign habitat, in a foreign culture, and surrounded by people she can’t trust or count on, Junco must find a way to save herself and Tier without losing her immortal soul in the process.



Flight

Book 3


Escape from Earth. Check.

Morph into an avian body. Check.

Survive Fledge and Deliverance, soul intact. Check.

Bring her Siblings back to Amelia and restore the avian race? Not so fast, darlin’.

There’s a new twist on an old prophecy and this one brings the End of Days. Junco must make a choice, but the choices all confirm her only worth is tied up in killing.

Lucan has secrets. Secrets that will make the Stag Camp look like playschool. And the lies are flowing like a mountain river during spring thaw. But he needs Junco to cooperate just a little bit longer or it all falls apart.

The Siblings on Earth are waiting for the Seventh to return and pull their clutch together. But Earth has secrets too -- secrets that change everything.

Junco has survived against impossible odds, but the cost of survival is higher than she ever imagined. Luck is about to catch up with Junco Coot and her debt must be paid.


What Makes A Hero Sexy?


It’s not a convoluted question, is it?

Most readers would say good looks is near the top, some might have it at the top – but all of us know that guy, right? That guy who’s so freaking hot, yet that’s all there is to him. Maybe he’s good as eye-candy for a while, but a leading man in any story has to have more than good looks.

They definitely have to have strength, especially if they plan on sweeping a certain someone off her feet. But outer strength and brawn isn’t enough, we expect a little more from our hero – he needs inner strength as well. The kind that allows him to persevere and move forward in the face of adversity.

How about passion? YES! Passion is a must-have for any wannabe sexy hero. The more passion he has the better we like him! He must, if not love, at very least lust all over the heroine. What good is a passionless hero? And he can’t be sloppy in this department either, he has to work for her responses.

Tenderness is on my list too, how about you? I like a rough man on the outside, but he should care about what our heroine is thinking. He doesn’t have to be tender all the time. In fact, maybe he hides this side of himself. But he needs to have access to it when called upon. And he needs to show the heroine he has this side when she really needs him.

The type of work our hero does in his daily life can also make or break him. I mean, what if he has no job, no prospects, and no desire to change that? I don’t know about you, but that’s not something that draws me to a character. He can be going through a rough patch, but he should be actively finding solutions as far as how he can complete his life’s work. He doesn’t have to be a fireman, or a hockey player, or a billionaire - although we like all three of those sexy careers - but at the very least, he must have a goal.

Even if our hero has all of these things, he might still be lacking in my eyes because I always like a hero with power. Really awesome power. Like, he just raided a major corporation or he’s a thousand year old vampire, or a violent werewolf…you know – scary powerful stuff like that.

But power is only cool as long as you’re not getting screwed by it, so the perfect powerful leading man must be able to use his talents for good. Like sweeping our heroine of her feet and being there when she needs that strong, chiseled shoulder to lean on.

I don’t write romances, I write science fiction. So why am I writing this blog you ask? Because the qualities that make a sexy leading man in a romance novel also applies to all leading men. We like a well-rounded guy. Maybe he’s not so nice all the time, heck, maybe he’s even got an evil side to him. But when it comes to his love interest, our heroine? He must be everything on this list and more.

That’s what makes a character interesting and since science fiction books have leading men too, I created one scary powerful guy named Lucan who was tailor-made to be the perfect sexy hero. He shows up in Fledge (book two in my I Am Just Junco series) and grabs the reader’s attention like none of the other (numerous) sexy men can.

Lucan has it all:

Power and Ambition? – Check. He’s several thousand years old and runs an entire race of winged beings, not to mention an army of angel-like warriors that numbers in the millions.

Good Looking? – Oh, hell yeah. He’s hot!

Strength? – Right again! He’s got talents that will keep a reader guessing all the way to the fifth book.

But the thing about Lucan that makes him such a sexy leading man (and hero) is that he reserves some tenderness in his cold heart for our heroine, Junco. She’s just a confused girl who could really use a break, and when she needs him most, he shows up just like a good hero should. :)

If you’re looking for an exciting plot filled with a whole slew of leading men who fit the description above, then give the I Am Just Junco series a try. Start your journey into Junco’s world today by purchasing Clutch at Amazon for only 99 cents.

When you’re done, please leave a review at Amazon and/or Goodreads and tell me if you think I hit the mark when I created the Tier, our leading man in the first book. (But no spoilers, please!)

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway contest - each autographed copy of Clutch will come with some cool swag, too!

Thanks!
J. A. Huss


Thank you, J.A., and thanks for stopping by today!
Giveaway!
 
The first book in the series is FREE to anyone who signs up for the JA Huss newsletter http://bit.ly/Pw58W4  JA will make sure everyone gets their free copy of the e-book via e-mail.
 
The Rafflecopter giveaway  - is two $50 gift cards and three autographed print books of Clutch and it will run from October 1-October 31
 



About the Author:

J. A. Huss never took a creative writing class in her life. Some would say it shows. Others might cut her some slack. She did however, get educated and graduated from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Equine Science. She had grand dreams of getting a Ph.D. but while she loves science, she hated academia and settled for a M.S. in Forensic Toxicology from the University of Florida.

She went on to write science curriculum for homeschoolers and now runs a successful home business that creates and offers online science unit studies. When she’s not writing science curriculum or fiction, she works as a farm inspector, traveling the Eastern Plains of Colorado in variety of environmentally friendly vehicles that never have four-wheel drive, so when she gets stuck in the mud in said vehicles, she has to beg for assistance from anyone who will help her. She is not bitter about that at all.

She’s always packing heat and she is owned by two donkeys, five dogs, more chickens and ducks than she can count, and of course, the real filthy animals, her kids. The I Am Just Junco series was born after falling in love with the ugliest part of Colorado and the Rural Republic is based on the area of the state she currently resides in, minus the mutants, of course.
Website: Blog: Facebook:
Goodreads:




A Bewitching Book Tours Guest
Click for Tour Dates



~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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Good morning, everyone!  Please welcome Marion Croslydon to the blog this morning.  She's going to be telling us a little about her new book, Oxford Whispers -- which sounds simply fascinating!


 Oxford Whispers
New Adult Paranormal Romance


Two star-crossed lovers in the English Civil War
A painting with haunting powers
A murderous ghost back for revenge

Madison LeBon is dead set against the dead. She has vowed to ignore her Voodoo-stamped heritage and the psychic gift passed down through her Louisiana family. The world of the living is where she wants to belong.

But her resolution shatters when the ill-fated lovers in a painting—the subject of her first history class at Oxford—begin to haunt her. The lovers warn her against their own nemesis, a Puritan from the English Civil War.

In misty present-day Oxford, Madison embarks on a quest to unravel the secrets of the past and understand her personal bond with the painting. To protect herself, she must learn to accept her gift before life imitates art, in all its tragedy.

College becomes more complicated when she falls hard for Rupert Vance, a troubled aristocrat and descendant of one of the characters in the painting.

With the spirit of a murderer in hot pursuit, Madison comes to realize that her own first love may be doomed…

Based on a real Pre-Raphaelite painting, Oxford Whispers is full of romance, drama and suspense.

Fall in love for the first time… Again

Marion is going to be tell us a little about her characters' growth arcs in Oxford Whispers.  And with that... I turn over the blog!

Claire, thank you very much for having me on your blog. I’m a big fan of the Curse Of The Templars series, and I really appreciate your invite to talk about my debut novel, Oxford Whispers.

(You're most welcome, Marion.  And I'm glad you're enjoying some tortured knights!)


Oxford Whispers is a New Adult Paranormal Romance (Upper-Young-Adult / Mature YA / “College-Lit”). It tells the story of Madison LeBon, an American student at Oxford University, with psychic powers she prefers to ignore. But when the tragic lovers in a painting begin to haunt her, she must learn to accept her gift. Otherwise, life will imitate art and Madison's own first love will be doomed.

Madison’s journey is one from self-denial to self-acceptance.

She’s a daughter of the South. She grew up in a small town a one-hour drive from Baton Rouge, in a Creole family. Her mother owns the local honkytonk, her aunt is an Ursuline nun, and her grandmother a Voodoo priestess. So quite a colorful bunch of women. Her father took the easy way out before she was even born.

Madison has ambivalent feelings towards her family. She loves them and respects them, but, at the same time, she longs for a “normal” life, a more traditional existence—and even if she doesn’t admit it to herself—a more “respectable” one.

Thanks to her aunt, Madison went to a catholic boarding school, and from there, got into Yale, majoring in History. She learned how to erase her Southern drawl and keep absolute silent about her Voodoo-stamped heritage and the psychic abilities passed down the LeBon female line. More than anything she wants to belong, to fit in… even if that means denying her roots.

When she enrolls in a Master’s program at Oxford University in England, she expects her life to take a magic-free turn. But bang! During her first History tutorial, an English painting set during the English Civil War throws her into a turmoil of bloody visions. From then on she won’t be able to ignore the characters in the painting, their ghosts, and their own quest for love, justice or revenge.

I won’t go into more details as it would spoil the plot and the suspense. Oxford Whispers is a paranormal romance, yes, but it deals with a special time in our lives, our early twenties. Surprisingly, romances or commercial fictions dealing with those “in-between” years are quite rare.

I dived into Harry Potter. I devoured Twilight. But then what?

I’m not a teen anymore. But in some time-defying ways, I grew up with those heroes. They nurtured my thoughts, my dreams. I cheered for them, cried with them… and fell in love with them (you, broody vampire, yes you!).

When I started Oxford Whispers, I was desperate for the next adventure, for the next step in my “growing-up.” “Coming-of-age” doesn’t only happen in high school. A lot of the excitement, joys and heartbreaks also fill those “in-between years,” when you’re legally an adult but don’t always know how to be one. Or why you should even try to be. But hardly any book deals with this transition into the “big bad” world, about these life-changing, earth-shattering “first-times.”

The first time we leave home, our family, our parents, the friends we grew up with, but didn’t always choose.

The first home, the first job, the first real love.

So really these are some of the things I wanted to explore through Madison. She’s passed the rebellious teenage years (although hers were very tame because she’s a nerd ;-)). She’s on her own and has to construct her own identity. For her, it will mean accepting where she comes from, her roots, and her heritage.

Madison comes a long way. I thought I would share with you the Inciting Incident, the moment her life takes that unexpected turn, the moment her heritage comes back to haunt her. Literally…

Let's take a peek!  
~~@~~
EXCERPT
~~@~~  


Oxford Whispers – Chapter One

Oxford, Faculty of History ~ Today

Madison spied on the Puritan, and the Puritan spied on the lovers. He hid behind a tree, his hand clenched on a Bible, his mouth twisted into a snarl.

His hatred radiated out of the painting into the classroom, and punched Madison in the belly. She closed her eyes.

Violent scenes flashed behind her lids. Severe faces stared back at her, and battles played out around her. She saw blood. Blood on her hands and on the face of the Cavalier, the other man in the painting. The warm liquid stuck to her skin. To her soul.

Visions had shaken her before. But nothing like this… Like a freakin’ Taser shot.

A wave of nausea flushed through her body, and an acrid taste invaded her mouth. She stood, but her knees buckled. Shuffling the few inches back to her seat she flattened her palms on the cold surface of the desk. The contact helped, but briefly.

Madison dragged her attention back to the painting, spread by the slide projector all over the classroom wall. In a forest clearing, a blond Cavalier lay in the arms of a young girl. Judging by his limp posture, he’d been badly injured. On the right side of the scene, a man dressed in black—the Puritan—watched. A plain hat covered half of his face. But Madison could see enough of his expression. He reeked of jealousy.

“Miss LeBon, do you need to take a break?” Doctor McCain’s familiar East Coast accent took her out of her trance and brought her back to the classroom.

As she shuffled in her seat, Madison’s chair squeaked. The other students turned in her direction.

Embarrassment fired up her cheeks, but she managed to shake her head and give the professor a faint smile. He nodded and returned to his lecture.

Clad in dark blue jeans, he rested now on the corner of his desk. His compact body partly blocked the image of the painting behind him. “William Shakespeare Burton was a relatively unknown artist, but this work, The Wounded Cavalier, enjoyed some success after he died. The scene takes place around 1650, after the execution of King Charles I.”

The tutorial continued, but Madison looked away through the classroom window. One of the spires jutting into the Oxford skyline caught her attention. Her breathing slowed, and the trembling of her hands stopped. Almost.

She had been knocked off her feet before, but the ghosts had never made her sick enough to bring her breakfast to her lips. Never before had they been mere characters in a painting.

So much for leaving behind her Voodoo heritage and the long line of LeBon psychics.

Madison gave herself a mental slap. She would not follow in her ancestors’ footsteps and end up a total whacko. She would not drown herself in the Mississippi or hang her pretty neck from the branch of a cypress. She would not let anyone shut her in a nuthouse. Just because she talked to those who were not there.

Confusion seeped into her. She would stand, fight and die for her crazy family, for her Cajun blood.

But no way am I going further into the loony bin. At least, not quite yet.

When Doctor McCain signaled the end of the session, her fists were tightly clenched, her knuckles white.


~~@~~
YOU HAVE JUST READ AN EXCERPT FROM OXFORD WHISPERS
~~@~~


GIVEAWAY - Marion will be giving away a $20 New Adult Reading pack --i.e. selected NA titles on Amazon to one commenter on the tour.  Follow the tour -- the more you comment, the better your chances of winning!  Complete Tour Dates can be found here


About the Author:  

I am a true citizen of the world. I was born in West Africa, grew up in the South of France, and studied in Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Cape Town, and Oxford before finally settling down in London. This wide variety of cities has provided lots of inspiration for my writing. Talk about culture exposure!

In addition to being an author, I work as an entrepreneur, wife and mother-of-one but spend a good deal of time with books, DVDs and listening to my mp3 player; all for the sake of inspiration, of course. My debut series, The Oxford Trilogy, has been a blast to write because I can indulge in my favorite types of music: Country and English rock.

My main goal as a writer is to make readers dream bigger and cause their hearts to beat a little faster. Since my writing is all about sharing dreams and stories, I love connecting with fellow readers and authors.

Keep in touch via:  Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  YouTube      

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~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com

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"Victorians used the term 'limbs' as a euphenism for legs, which were thought to be so sexually exciting to a man, even a glimpse of a table leg could incite him to sexual frenzy. Table skirts were invented to prevent any unnatural unions between men and furniture."
~
(History Channel International)

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